Ratby Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Ratby Primary School Main Street, Ratby, Leicester, Leicestershire LE6 0LN

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 February 2024

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Outcome

Ratby Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Lisa Jones. This school is part of The Bradgate Education Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Gareth Nelmes, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stephen Cotton.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that they are happy and feel safe at school. They enjoy the broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to read often and for pleasure. They are surrounded by books in every classroom. They are enthusiastic about the range of opportunities to learn outside the classroom, including through trips to local landmarks.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to take on leadership roles for different aspects of school life. Reading ambassadors interview their teachers to find out about favourite books and publish this in a reading newsletter. Lunchtime sports ambassadors organise lunchtime games.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, conduct and character. Pupils understand the school’s values and that they are expected to be ‘respectful, responsible and ready to learn’. Pupils take responsibility for creating a welcoming school. They create their own class charters and promote kindness, honesty and self-belief. They are provided with a rich range of opportunities to help them to consider the importance of equality and diversity. Pupils enjoy the weekly picture news assemblies and understand important issues such as the impact of global warming.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is a strength of the school’s provision. The school ensures that developing pupils’ reading is of key importance. Staff are well trained and deliver the reading curriculum effectively. Children begin learning to read as soon as they enter the Reception Year. Pupils benefit from high-quality phonics teaching. They rapidly develop early reading 13 and 14 February 2024

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skills. The books pupils read match the sounds they know. Staff regularly check how well pupils are doing and use assessment information to ensure that those who need additional support can catch up and keep up. Staff work closely with parents and carers to help pupils become more fluent readers. The love of reading is promoted through a range of ways. Pupils enjoy access to a well-resourced library and daily story time. High-quality books are carefully chosen to ensure that pupils experience a range of authors and text types.

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The school’s curriculum is well organised and designed to ensure that pupils secure key knowledge in most subjects. For example, in mathematics, activities help pupils develop fluency and reasoning skills. In geography, pupils develop their understanding of the differences between human and physical geography. A small number of subjects are not yet as well developed. In these subjects, some pupils are sometimes not challenged as much as they might be.

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Teachers work well with additional adults to model complex ideas. Staff help pupils to recall their prior learning and understand important vocabulary. Staff receive detailed information about pupils who have additional needs. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers use this information to support pupils’ individual needs. Teachers adapt the curriculum to support disadvantaged pupils and pupils who need extra help to ensure that they achieve well.

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In some subjects, the school has identified gaps in pupils’ knowledge that developed during lockdown periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. The school is addressing these gaps effectively. In a small number of subjects, assessment tools are being developed. Staff do not always have the information about what pupils know and can do to plan the next steps in pupils’ learning.

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In the early years, staff provide a range of opportunities for children to develop curiosity and enjoyment of learning. High-quality teaching of early mathematics ensures that children are confident in recognising and handling numbers. In both the outdoor and indoor spaces, pupils are able to practise mark making and develop their motor skills. Children are well prepared for the next steps in their education.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Staff remind them to ‘show me your best’. Pupils are rewarded for their efforts in weekly celebration assemblies. There are strong relationships between pupils and staff. Ensuring positive attendance is a key priority for the school. When attendance drops, the school takes effective action.

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The school promotes pupils’ broader personal development extremely well. Pupils benefit from a rich programme of activities and events. The personal, social and health education curriculum is broad and carefully planned. Pupils learn about healthy relationships. They also learn about a range of festivals associated with different faiths and the importance of tolerance. They are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance ensure that the school is well led and managed. Staff said that they feel valued and cared for and that their workload is 13 and 14 February 2024

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carefully considered. They appreciate the schools’ ‘open-door’ policy and that their well- being is a high priority.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not provide pupils with work that will challenge them to deepen their knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers provide pupils with work that supports them to achieve as highly as possible.  In some foundation subjects, assessment is not as precise as in other subjects. The school should ensure that it continues to develop its assessment tools to support staff to check how well pupils are progressing through the intended curriculum and use this information to inform and adapt teaching.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour, or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2014.

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How can I feedback my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feedback my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 13 and 14 February 2024

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with SEND; pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 13 and 14 February 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with senior leaders at the school and in the trust. She also met with trustees and members of the local advisory board.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. 13 and 14 February 2024

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils around school and in lessons and considered the school’s management of staff workload and well-being.  The inspector took note of the responses received on Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and considered the results of the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Emma Hollis-Brown, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 February 2024

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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